[comp.org.acm] CACM -- effective response

peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) (06/20/91)

If the folks at ACM HQ are professional publishers, managers, and bean
counters there are only two ways to get their attention:

	a. Get on the board, and let them know their jobs
	   depend on a good (for your purposes) product.

	b. Vote with your pocketbooks. Drop your membership
	   entirely and send the board a note of protest, so
	   reducing to (a).

If the elected board of the ACM doesn't have the power to do this, then
there's something seriously wrong with the ACM, and you should address
*that* instead of the publication itself.
-- 
Peter da Silva; Ferranti International Controls Corporation; +1 713 274 5180;
Sugar Land, TX  77487-5012;         `-_-' "Have you hugged your wolf, today?"

jerbil@ultra.com (Joseph Beckenbach {Adapter Software Release Engr}) (06/21/91)

In <FD1C6C3@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:

>If the folks at ACM HQ are professional publishers, managers, and bean
>counters there are only two ways to get their attention:

>	a. Get on the board, and let them know their jobs
>	   depend on a good (for your purposes) product.

>	b. Vote with your pocketbooks. Drop your membership
>	   entirely and send the board a note of protest, so
>	   reducing to (a).

	c. Send snail-mail to the Board, telling them something's wrong.
	   Tell them what's wrong, why you think it's wrong, thus hurting
	   the image and substance of the ACM, and what you think might be
	   done to fix it.

	d. Send e-mail and snail-mail to the Editor of CACM.  Who's that?
	   [leaf leaf]  I could almost WALK to see him -- Peter Denning
	   at NASA-Ames.  Say to him what you would have told the Board,
	   who would have talked with him anyway.

The editor and  board MIGHT NOT KNOW there's a storm of protest here.  What,
neither the editor nor the Board live at ACM HQ?  Shame on them for not doing
daily cross-continent commutes. ;-)

	I've not the time (yet) to be active at any level, thus keeping
me from a.  ACM provides other services that I want to keep, and the wound
to the CACM isn't mortal (to my eyes), thus obviating b.  I go with d, then
c if nothing comes of it.

		Joseph Beckenbach
		member ACM since 1989
-- 
----
Joseph Beckenbach	jerbil@ultra.com	408-922-0100 x246

jerbil@ultra.com (Joseph Beckenbach {Adapter Software Release Engr}) (06/24/91)

	In my previous posting I write:

>In <FD1C6C3@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:

>>If the folks at ACM HQ are professional publishers, managers, and bean
>>counters there are only two ways to get their attention:

>	d. Send e-mail and snail-mail to the Editor of CACM.  Who's that?
>	   [leaf leaf]  I could almost WALK to see him -- Peter Denning
>	   at NASA-Ames.  Say to him what you would have told the Board,
>	   who would have talked with him anyway.

	I sent email to the ACMHELP address with my comments, and Cynthia
Bydlinski there has forwarded my comments to the Executive Editor, James
Maurer.  I don't have my CACM to hand, so I can't say where one should send
snail-mail.

	Passing along information, the ACM Order Department may be contacted
by email -- Ms. Deborah Cotton, Single Copy Administrator DCOTTON@ACMVM.bitnet.
The latest Publications catalog should be ready soon.

		Joseph Beckenbach
-- 
----
Joseph Beckenbach	jerbil@ultra.com	408-922-0100 x246